# The Pinball Show Ep 141 BONUS: Gee Thanks-Giving **Source:** Pinball Show Patreon Feed **Type:** podcast_episode **Published:** 2023-11-21 **Duration:** 15m 20s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/pinball-show-ep-93247479 --- ## Analysis In this Thanksgiving special bonus episode of The Pinball Show, hosts deliver satirical and genuine thanks to various pinball manufacturers, community figures, and media personalities. The episode blends humor with industry critique, praising manufacturers like Stern, Haggis, and Chicago Gaming for quality while delivering sharp criticism of American Pinball's order fulfillment issues with Flippin' Out Pinball and Zen Pinball's handling of the show name conflict. The hosts emphasize gratitude for community support and content creator camaraderie. ### Key Claims - [MEDIUM] Stern Pinball offers the most affordable machine on the market with their Pro model and surpasses quality of many other companies' games — _Host (appears to be Greg or Zach from Flippin' Out) speaking as industry analyst/observer_ - [HIGH] American Pinball forgot Flippin' Out Pinball's initial order for Galactic Tank Force Deluxe editions and has delivered zero deluxe GTF machines to them despite months of order placement — _Zach (Flippin' Out Pinball owner/operator) providing direct account of order fulfillment failure_ - [HIGH] Hexa Pinball launched Space Hunt and has been silent/inactive since, taking their news moment and withdrawing from visibility — _Host commentary on Hexa's launch and subsequent absence from industry conversation_ - [HIGH] Zen Pinball abandoned their YouTube show called 'The Pinball Show' and left behind a neon sign they're not returning — _Host describing attempted contact with Zen/Embracer Group about the Pinball Show branding and physical assets_ - [HIGH] Spooky Pinball replaced their mozzarella glue manufacturing approach with proper connections for quality improvement — _Host acknowledging Spooky's quality improvement move away from problematic adhesive practices_ - [HIGH] American Pinball has committed to original themes only after Hot Wheels and Galactic Tank Force, no licensed IP for multiple releases — _Host referencing David Fitts' commitment to original IP strategy heard from community feedback_ - [MEDIUM] Chicago Gaming Company produces arguably the highest quality machine on the market with best value retention — _Host opinion/assessment of Chicago Gaming's product quality and secondary market value_ - [MEDIUM] Barrels of Fun Pinball is 'the trending company in this industry right now' due to Labyrinth success — _Host assessment of Barrels' current market position and community sentiment_ ### Notable Quotes > "Stern, you dominate this industry, you sexy son of a bitch. They don't even pay to hear this. You know what you're doing." > — **Host (Flippin' Out/Pinball Show)**, early segment > _Sets comedic tone of exaggerated praise mixed with genuine assessment; establishes that manufacturers don't sponsor this commentary_ > "Gee, thanks, Zen Pinball. You try to come in and call your fake pinball YouTube show The Pinball Show... Gee, thanks for abandoning that show, once you realize that we are the true TPS" > — **Host**, mid-segment > _Key dispute over The Pinball Show branding; reveals ongoing tension between Zen Studios' defunct show and the primary show_ > "I've had my people reach out to your people. I want the neon sign. Gee, thanks for not returning the message." > — **Host**, mid-segment > _Indicates failed negotiation between host and Zen/Embracer Group over physical assets from abandoned show_ > "Kick that old Flippin' Out can down the schedule month after month... to finally tell me a week or two ago that a mistake was made and that Flippin' Out Pinball, our order, was forgotten. It was overlooked." > — **Zach (Flippin' Out Pinball operator)**, major rant section > _Direct complaint about American Pinball's order fulfillment failure; establishes factual grievance_ > "To date Flippin' Out Pinball has received wait for it zero deluxe edition GTFs with customers waiting" > — **Zach**, rant continuation > _Quantifies the scale of unfulfilled GTF Deluxe orders; indicates customer impact beyond just retailer_ > "They had the balls to recently email me from sales to tell me... we'll give some used GTF Deluxes, but only if you package it with the Legends of Valhalla or a Hot Wheels machine" > — **Zach**, rant continuation > _Shows American Pinball's proposed resolution (used machines bundled with other products) was unsatisfactory_ > "Most CEOs they don't have the vision to make a pinball company that in no way wants to sell pinball machines" > — **Host (Dennis or co-host)**, HomePin thanks section > _Unusual critique/praise of HomePin's business model—they explicitly don't prioritize sales_ > "Thank you, American Pinball, for hearing the community, listening to the feedback... and then saying thanks but no thanks. I think I speak for the rest of the content creators in pinball" > — **Host**, pre-rant American Pinball section > _Reveals American Pinball explicitly rejected licensed IP approach despite community pressure; host claims to speak for content creator consensus_ > "That poor kid's going to be like five and no longer baby, but still love you." > — **Host (Dennis or co-host)**, opening section > _Personal/family humor; indicates ongoing joke about co-host's child_ > "You take chances in the name of creativity, which is huge for me... you have arguably the best decision-making when it comes to themes for pinball." > — **Host**, Spooky thanks section > _Recognizes Spooky's creative risk-taking and theme selection as industry-leading_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Stern Pinball | company | Major manufacturer praised for affordability of Pro model and consistent code/rules quality; Gary Stern and Seth Davis acknowledged as leadership | | Zen Pinball/Zen Studios | company | Virtual pinball platform; abandoned YouTube show called 'The Pinball Show' with neon sign; now part of Embracer Group; received sarcastic criticism for name conflict | | Spooky Pinball | company | Manufacturer praised for quality improvement (replacing mozzarella glue), creative theme selection, willingness to take risks; still uses some 3D printing | | Hexa Pinball | company | Newer manufacturer; launched Space Hunt with pink color scheme; withdrew from public visibility after launch | | American Pinball | company | Manufacturer led by David Fitts; critical subject of rant regarding Galactic Tank Force Deluxe order fulfillment failure with Flippin' Out; committed to original IP themes | | Chicago Gaming Company | company | Praised for highest quality machines and best value retention; noted for slow production pace | | Haggis Pinball | company | Australian manufacturer praised for beautiful games combining nostalgia with modern technology | | Barrels of Fun Pinball | company | Trending manufacturer due to Labyrinth success; previously had launch communication issues; now described as market leader in community sentiment | | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Praised for attention to details, strong video promotion and marketing for game launches | | Pinball Brothers | company | Mentioned as having upcoming future games; minimal commentary provided | | HomePin | company | Australian manufacturer led by Mike; praised for 'greatest pinball interview ever' conducted with Dr. John on Aussie Pinball Podcast; unique business model of not prioritizing sales | | Flippin' Out Pinball | company | Pinball retailer/distributor; primary victim of American Pinball's GTF Deluxe fulfillment failure; has content creation partnership with The Pinball Show | | Kinesis | organization | Community organization attempting to emphasize positivity and camaraderie in pinball community; praised for efforts | | The Pinball Show | media | Primary podcast/YouTube show; hosts include Dennis Kriesel and Zach (from Flippin' Out); operates Pinball Show Club membership; previously had name conflict with Zen Studios' abandoned YouTube show | | Dennis Kriesel | person | Co-host of The Pinball Show and Eclectic Gamers Podcast; praised for commitment to knowledge, intelligence, timing, humor; close personal friendship with primary host | | Zach Meny | person | Operator/owner of Flippin' Out Pinball; delivers rant about American Pinball's unfulfilled GTF Deluxe orders; appears to be primary host of Thanksgiving episode alongside Dennis | | David Fitts | person | Leader/founder of American Pinball; praised for listening to community feedback on IP strategy while criticized for order fulfillment issues | | Gary Stern | person | Leadership at Stern Pinball; acknowledged by host ('one doesn't like me') | | Seth Davis | person | Leadership at Stern Pinball; acknowledged by host ('one doesn't know who I am') | | Mike (HomePin) | person | CEO/founder of HomePin; praised for 'greatest pinball interview ever' and unique business vision | | Dr. John | person | Conducted interview with Mike from HomePin on Aussie Pinball Podcast; praised for interview quality | | Nicole | person | Life partner, parenting partner, business partner, and media partner of primary host; jokingly criticized for scheduling family photos | | Greg Bone | person | Co-host/brother figure; associated with Flippin' Out Pinball; thanked for 'love cornucopia' that is his mother | ### Topics - **Primary:** Manufacturer quality and innovation, Pricing and affordability, Order fulfillment and retailer relations, IP licensing strategy and theme selection - **Secondary:** Community sentiment and content creator landscape, Pinball media competition and branding, Manufacturing processes and quality control, Community camaraderie vs. public conflict ### Sentiment **Mixed** (0.35) — Episode contains genuine gratitude and praise for most manufacturers balanced against sharp criticism of American Pinball's order fulfillment failure and Zen Studios' branding/asset disputes. Tone is comedic with satirical 'gee thanks' segments contrasting sincere appreciation. American Pinball criticism is serious and substantive; overall sentiment toward industry is positive but with notable grievances. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** American Pinball failed to fulfill Flippin' Out Pinball's day-one order for Galactic Tank Force Deluxe editions, with zero machines delivered months after order placement and order reportedly forgotten in initial production run (confidence: high) — Zach's detailed rant: 'to finally tell me a week or two ago that a mistake was made and that Flippin' Out Pinball, our order, was forgotten. It was overlooked... To date Flippin' Out Pinball has received wait for it zero deluxe edition GTFs' - **[product_concern]** Spooky Pinball previously used problematic 'mozzarella glue' adhesive; host notes this was poor practice but credits company for moving to proper connections and quality improvement (confidence: high) — 'for actually moving on, going into proper connections and getting rid of the mozzarella glue. Ah, no more for the win.' - **[industry_signal]** Zen Studios' abandoned YouTube show used 'The Pinball Show' branding and have not returned physical assets (neon sign); host attempted negotiation with Zen/Embracer Group without success and now claims ownership of the 'true TPS' name (confidence: high) — 'You try to come in and call your fake pinball YouTube show The Pinball Show... Gee, thanks for abandoning that show, once you realize that we are the true TPS... I've had my people reach out to your people. I want the neon sign.' - **[product_strategy]** American Pinball has committed to original IP themes after Hot Wheels and Galactic Tank Force, with no licensed IP for multiple future releases; hosts interpret this as listening to community criticism of over-reliance on licensing (confidence: high) — 'You're not getting a licensed theme after this release of Galactic Tank Force. In fact, it won't be the next game or the game after or even the game after that.' - **[market_signal]** Barrels of Fun Pinball identified as 'the trending company in this industry right now' due to Labyrinth success; previously faced launch communication criticism but has recovered community standing (confidence: high) — 'you're the trending company in this industry right now you heard it here and for good reason continue to make great choices and the community will continue to make great choices as well buying and supporting your products' - **[manufacturing_signal]** Chicago Gaming Company noted for producing high-quality machines with best value retention but operating at slow production pace ('work as fast as a sloth going doggy style on a snail') (confidence: high) — 'Sure you work as fast as a sloth going doggy style on a snail but hey we love the children it produces.' - **[community_signal]** Content creators (Straight Down The Middle, EGP, Flippin' Out Pinball, The Pinball Show) maintain positive relationships and camaraderie despite competitive media landscape; Kinesis attempting to formalize this positive dynamic (confidence: medium) — 'for those that support The Pinball Show, for those that support EGP, Straight Down The Middle, and Flippin' Out Pinball... actually a lot of us who who do the content creation side both inside and outside of the the Pinball Network actually get along with each other' - **[design_philosophy]** Spooky Pinball praised for bold creative theme decisions and willingness to take chances; specifically commended for theme selection being arguably best in industry (confidence: high) — 'you have arguably the best decision-making when it comes to themes for pinball. You take chances in the name of creativity, which is huge for me.' - **[business_signal]** American Pinball's proposed resolution to GTF Deluxe shortage (offering used show-edition machines bundled with other products) considered insufficient by affected retailer; indicates tension between manufacturer and distribution partners (confidence: high) — 'they had the balls to recently email me from sales to tell me... we'll give some used GTF Deluxes, but only if you package it with the Legends of Valhalla or a Hot Wheels machine' - **[product_launch]** Hexa Pinball launched Space Hunt as debut title with distinctive pink color scheme; company has been notably inactive in media/community since launch announcement (confidence: high) — 'taking advantage and feel no shame in using Pepto-Bismol pink as a primary color scheme... I have not heard from them since Space Hunt. They took their 15 minutes of fame, and they embraced it, and they calmly walked away.' - **[market_signal]** Stern Pinball's Pro model identified as most affordable pinball machine currently on market; quality of Pro model reported to surpass many competitors' machines across trim levels (confidence: medium) — 'You offer the most affordable machine on the market with your pro model. I don't think there's any arguing there. And it does surpass the quality of many other companies' games, regardless of even trim level.' --- ## Transcript Warning, the following episode contains adult language and screaming goats. Listener discretion is advised. The Pinball Network is online. Launching the Pinball Show. Thanks again for the ongoing support as a Pinball Show Club member. Enjoy this exclusive TPS content and make sure to visit the Pinball Show Club Discord to chat about the bonus material. All right, Dennis, exclusively here on the Pinball Show Club membership. Oh, my God. I'm thankful to these people. Holy crap. Oh, Thanksgiving special, super special Thanksgiving segment special. Thanksgiving segment spectacular, baby. Here we go. All right. Dennis, I want to give you thanks. Who are you going to give thanks to first? Thank you to the pinball community. And for those that support the pinball show, for those that support EGP, straight down the middle, and flipping out pinball. truly, truly, honestly, sincerely humbled and appreciative of everything. It's why Dennis and I don't really care too much of the acknowledgements outside the award-based stuff. Like, we know we've got it. We know we bring it. We're proud of it. And your feedback tells us the same. We are humbled and appreciative of you listening. Numbers don't lie. We only report the facts. We're fucking having fun. and I think people listening and supporting us are having fun as well and I feel all that. So when you have all that and you feel content in what you're creating, there's nothing better and we don't have that if we didn't have you listening and watching and supporting. So truly, thank you. I hope you have a damn good Thanksgiving. Well, in that spirit, I'll say thanks to the Kineticist for trying to bring some camaraderie and pinball emphasize that emphasize sort of that that positive aspect you know actually a lot of us who who do the content creation side both inside and outside of the the pinball network actually get along with each other correspond we send messages it's actually a pretty chill place uh so but sometimes sometimes out uh publicly you'll see you'll see a few ne'er-do-wells trying to stir things up. And so, anyway, so kudos to Kineticist for trying to emphasize the positive. Don't know if it's going to work out, but I appreciate the effort. The efforts are very appreciated, as well as your baby. I'm never going to let call. Quit trying to steal the baby. That poor kid's going to be like five and no longer baby, but still love you. Yeah, thank you, Kineticist. That's a good call. I also want to thank, oh man, here, did you see that, Dennis? Put on my shill hat here. Thank you greatly to Stern Pinball. Ah. Oh, that is chilly. Stern, you dominate this industry, you sexy son of a bitch. They don't even pay to hear this. You know what you're doing. You don't even pay high enough to hear this from them. Fiery Phoenix Goat, mate. You know what you're doing. Your game's played the best. You've got the best code and rules. Look, I'm here to lay down the facts. It's true. You offer the most affordable machine on the market with your pro model. I don't think there's any arguing there. And it does surpass the quality of many other companies' games, regardless of even trim level. You're that good. Unfortunately, at times, you know you're that good. But nonetheless, truly thank you, because without Stern Pinball, there is, in my opinion, probably no pinball machines. So thank you. Thank you, Gary Stern and Seth Davis. One doesn't like me, and one doesn't know who I am. Well, that's what happens. Well, okay, we're thanking manufacturers. I'm going to thank Hexa Pinball. Oh I thought you were going spooky there Okay No I going to thank Hexa Pinball because of their launch title Space Hunt For a couple of reasons One for making even someone like me with my Midwestern accent have to be extra extra careful saying Space Hunt so that it very clear what I trying to articulate Is there a Mike Hunt here? A Mike Hunt. Second, for deciding to take advantage and feel no shame in using Pepto-Bismol pink as a primary color scheme. And just being like, you know what, we're going to do it because it's just not been done. That's right. At least not in a long time. I'm looking at you, Vegas Premier Gottlieb. And third, to actually do all of that, drop it, drop all the information, and then basically just get out of the way and let other news happen. Yeah, I have not heard from them since Spurs. They took their 15 minutes of fame, and they embraced it, and they calmly walked away. And that's more than many of us could do. So, thank you, Axel. I think that you sons of bitches, we don't like your types around here. We agree with Mike at home pain. Screw you, United States. Spoiler, that's my next thanks. Oh, okay. I see what you're doing here. Let's see if I can try this one. Gee, thanks. Oh, you're doing G-thanks. You're going to emphasize your sarcasm. G-thanks, Zen Pinball. Sure, you come and dominate with your virtual fake pinball. That's fine. That's dandy. And then you've got your own cabinet and 4K, hell, even P3 Multimorphic can't get a 4K monitor in their games. But G-thanks. You try to come in and call your fake pinball YouTube show the pinball show. You tried. And it was cute. You did it there for a while. Hell, you even got the URL. They have a neon sign. Gee, thanks a lot, Zen Pinball, for abandoning that show, once you realize that we are the true TPS, and doing nothing with that beautiful neon pinball show sign. Look, I've had my people reach out to your people. I want the neon sign. Gee, thanks for not returning the message. The last message I had was from, I think, the CEO, the CFO, CRO? Somebody saying, hey, I know we stole your name. Let's see if we can work out something. And then they didn't. Now you're going to leave us with no neon sign? Gee, thanks, Zen Pinball. You know, most of that staff's probably been fired, so you may need to contact the Embracer group directly at this point and see if you could buy the, honestly, as much money as they're bleeding, they'll probably sell it. I put a call out on a Click to Gamers podcast to try and get that sign. I offered $75. See what I did there? Gee, thanks. I will thank Spooky Pinball, though. I should have thanked them last year for this. No, gee, thanks. Okay. Yeah, no, for actually moving on, going into proper connections and getting rid of the mozzarella glue. Ah, no more for the win. Yeah, I'm a little sad because it was my favorite joke to make at their expense, but it was a smart move. I'm glad they finally went that way. We're not doing IDE hard drives here. They're still 3D printing, though. Still 3D printing some stuff. Well, they're not the only ones. But anyway, I thank them for the quality improvement. Okay, I'll say thanks, too. Thank you, Haggis Pinball. Yeah, look, Haggis Pinball, rolling with the punches, still managing to provide us with the most beautiful games in the industry, I could argue. Pure nostalgia with then a heavy dose of very much appreciated technology. All from the upside down. Very impressive, Haggis Pinball. Keep rolling. Thank you. Thank you, Chicago Gaming Company. You make arguably the highest quality machine on the market and the value of your products maintained better than any other company Sure you work as fast as a sloth going doggy style on a snail but hey we love the children it produces Yeah Now I want to thank Mike from HomePin. Oh. And this is why. No, I mean this thanks. I mean it. Okay, all right. I mean it from the deep depths of my tummy. Your bowels, yeah. Maybe not all the way down in the bowels, because that might come across a little shitty. Oh, hey. Yeah, I'm just saying. We know our anatomy here on the Pinball Show. I want to thank him because Mike from Home Pin gave all of us, not just me, but all of us, the greatest pinball interview ever. Oh, yes. So also special side thank you to Dr. John on the Aussie Pinball Podcast for conducting the interview. The interview is great for a lot of reasons. You love this interview. Go and listen to it. But yes, I do. It was just the right amount of hoopris combined with zero fucks to give. perfect and most ceos most ceos they don't have the vision to do that they don't have the vision to make a pinball company that in no way wants to sell pinball machines oh oh it's incredible i don't know how to come off that but thank you barrels of fun pinball this is a true thank you damn look i know y'all are thankful too for the hit that is labyrinth you have to be you annoyed us before with your launch i'll admit it dennis was annoyed i was annoyed we didn't even respond to you because we are the pinball show then you want us over you want everybody over after pulling back the curtain you're the trending company in this industry right now you heard it here and for good reason continue to make great choices and the community will continue to make great choices as well buying and supporting your products barrels of fun or what the cool kids just called barrels thank you yeah thank you jersey jack pinball for valuing the extra details that make your product stand out i'm also thankful for past game launches and the importance that you place on first presentations with some really great video promotion and marketing pieces thank you spooky pinball spooky pinball for being true to yourself you've chosen to do you boo-boo for better or worse usually for the better and i respect that you take chances in the name of creativity, which is huge for me. Plus, you have arguably the best decision-making when it comes to themes for pinball. Nicely done, and thank you. Thank you Pinball Brothers for your upcoming future games. I'll just leave it at that. You know what? I think we need to thank American Pinball a little bit. Okay, let's do it. And this one may be a little bit more to David Fitts, but honestly, I had not prepped this one, but after going through the base content of the show, I mean, I just have to say thanks for listening to the community, hearing and seeing what the other manufacturers are trying to do to satiate demand and just going, you know what? No. We're going to keep doing original themes. You're not getting a licensed theme other than Hot Wheels. You're not getting a licensed theme after this release of Galactic Tank Force. In fact, it won't be the next game or the game after or even the game after that. So thank you, American Pinball, for hearing from the community, listening to the feedback, acknowledging you heard it, and then saying, thanks but no thanks. I think I speak for the rest of the content creators in pinball when I say truly thank you, though, to David Fix for content throughout the entire year, even if there's not much to cover with American Pinball. Look, I will give a thanks. I have to give a thanks to American Pinball. A gee thanks. I teased this a couple weeks ago. I didn't know if we'd clear up some stuff. But gee thanks American Pinball Wow Just gee thanks so much for taking our day one order on GTF Deluxe Editions for flipping out pinball We tried to support you. You know what? We're going to do gameplay video. We're going to get behind you. We like this product. Gee fucking thanks for letting us order the Deluxe Editions on day one. More than probably most of your dealers would dare even take a stab at quantity wise. And it wasn't many. It really wasn't many. But I still think it's probably more than most. And then to kick the flipping out can, sorry, this is a rant, Dennis, bear with me, kick that old flipping out can down the schedule month after month with reasons for delays as to why we aren't getting any deluxe editions of GTF. Only to finally tell me a week or two ago, listener, that a mistake was made and that flipping out pinball, our order, was forgotten. It was overlooked. Holy cow. On the initial run of deluxes months back. Dennis to date flipping out pinball has received wait for it zero deluxe edition GTFs with customers waiting thanks gee thanks American pinball that's like Thanksgiving and forgetting the turkey so that is like the blockbuster film right before the title shows because that's not the focus of this gee thanks no no no the cherry on the ice cream sunday you're welcome for that reverend the cherry on the ice cream sunday listener is then they had the balls to recently email me from sales to tell me that zach you know what we've got you some deluxe gtfs now they're show edition games you know i i would have thought maybe since you so bad on an order for us maybe reach out to all the dealers that have been sitting with them in stock to see if you could conjure up a couple from those dealers just to make whole the you made no no no of course you didn't do that but to offer me some show special used deluxes wait for it only if i package them with other legends of valhalla orders that's when they would give me their used show special games that have been played to hell at a convention yeah we'll give some used GTF Deluxes, but only if you package it with the legends of Valhalla or a Hot Wheels machine that's sitting in our inventory. Holy shit. Gee, thanks, American Pinball. Aw, thank you, Dennis Creasel, for being yourself. Din Din, I am thankful for your commitment to knowledge, to your intelligence, your timing, and to your humor. You make one hell of a team, and I am thankful for our friendship, buddy. Thank you, Nicole, for being the ultimate partner. A life partner, parenting partner, business partner, and most recently, a media partner. Absolutely. We had a blast filming together and brainstorming and she didn't help with editing, but whatever. Oh, and gee, thanks, Nicole, for scheduling family pictures yet again this holiday season. You know, it would be difficult for me to measure the amount of joy that is just drained from my existence to use to artificially pose with loved ones in order to sit on a mantle for a couple of months until the next photography session, which usually is photographed in a farmland field or some weird-ass garage-converted studio. Gee, thanks, Nicole. And to Greg Bone, my brother. Thank you, Greg Bone, for the love cornucopia that is your mom. That's probably a good one to end on. This is the end of the extra content, folks. so you know you can push stop. _(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 90eaf821-03f5-4f07-ac41-b2c7fca80c1c*